Try out a premium bonds odds calculator

Since the worldwide economic slump kick-started in 2008, an air of financial uncertainty still lingers. People are concerned about job security, pensions, and how best to invest. The latter is particularly poignant, since many institutions have had to be bailed out with public money, with shares shrinking in value. For all this, premium bonds remain a solid investment choice. And if you want to find out exactly how solid, try a premium bonds odds calculator.

Why premium bonds remain a sound investment

There are many reasons why you should choose to use a premium bonds odds calculator to help with your financial forecasting.

History

Premium bonds have been proving their merits since they were first introduced in Britain by Harold Macmillan's 1956 government. Issued by the National Savings and Investment Agency, the bonds are entered into a prize draw. Unlike other investments, the government will then honour an agreement to buy the bonds back, if requested, for the original price.

Interest

While fluctuating interest rates can be a major headache when looking into the investment market, the government pays interest on premium bonds, at a fixed rate (pegged at 1.5% three years ago). However, instead of this amount being paid into individual bond accounts, it gets paid into the overall prize fund. This fund can then provide tax-free prizes via a monthly lottery. Anyone with a bond can have their numbers selected.

The draw

The lottery relies on numbers being generated by an electronic machine - Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment - or Ernie for short.

Prizes

The amount made available to the lucky bond holders ranges from a minimum of £25 right up to life-altering £1 million.

Odds calculator

Anyone who has purchased bonds faces odds of 36,000 to one for each bond number. As over one third of the country's population participate, the prizes can be lucrative.

Accessing a bonds odds calculator

The best way to work out how much you could potentially win is by using a premium bonds odds calculator. These work by using fairly complicated coding that will translate whatever numbers you input, using various algorithms, generating the required result. The good news is that you don't need to understand the coding behind the calculator - the user-friendly form merely asks you to submit the initial amount to be tallied up.